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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27752518">La Lechuza</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/toad_in_the_road/pseuds/toad_in_the_road'>toad_in_the_road</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Coco (2017), The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Alebrijes (Coco 2017), And You Can Pry That Headcanon From My Cold Dead Hands, Angst, Crossover, Curses, Día de los Muertos | Day of the Dead, Eda Clawthorne's Curse, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, Héctor Rivera Deserves Better, Héctor Rivera Needs a Hug, Magic, Quests, Sisters, The Emperor's Coven (The Owl House), hector and eda are pan, i dont really reference it i just thought it was a cool title and concept, im gay, im not shipping them together i just want everyone to know these two are not straight, la lechuza - Freeform, no luz or miguel, sorry this is pre-canon, unlikely friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:54:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27752518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/toad_in_the_road/pseuds/toad_in_the_road</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's an old legend of a witch. A witch who is human by day, but by night, turns into a terrible beast that attacks anyone around her, a demon covered in feathers with a scream like a banshee.</p><p>Héctor isn't thinking about this legend, though. He's thinking about why this lady is digging through his trash.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eda Clawthorne &amp; King, Eda Clawthorne &amp; Lilith Clawthorne, Héctor Rivera/Imelda Rivera</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>La Lechuza</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i kind of hate this but it was really fun to write to here you go!</p><p>this is what i did instead of studying or doing my other wips or literally anything else productive</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was someone rooting through the garbage, even though it was mostly empty, and even though the garbage had always been garbage to begin with because not much came down to Shantytown in one piece. </p><p>It was the eve of Día de Muertos, and Héctor was busy putting the finishing touches on a scheme that was <em>sure</em> to get him over that damn flower bridge, no problem. (And it had too, because his bones were more brittle, more loose, more yellowed than ever. He was running out of time)</p><p>A loud, clangy rustling distracted him, and after a moment of hesitation, he ignored it. It was probably just someone’s loose <em>alebrije</em>. Uncommon among the ranks of the almost-forgotten, but not quite. </p><p>But then he heard it muttering.</p><p>Something was rummaging through near-empty trash cans, muttering angrily to itself and throwing discarded bits and pieces into the dark water around them. Héctor tried to ignore it, he really did, hoping it would go away, but after a particularly dark bout of muttering that sounded suspiciously like a string of swears, he sighed, forcing himself to his feet and limping out.</p><p>“What is-” He paused when he rounded the corner, seeing something gray and furry rooting around in the trash. For a second, his mind said it was some kind of hairball from a larger <em>alebrije</em>, but then the hairball looked up at him.</p><p>It was a woman with a mass of feathery hair that was a strange mix between red and gray despite her otherwise youthful appearance, and big, almost golden eyes. One of her teeth had been replaced with a golden fang, and she had on a rather ragged red dress, and heeled boots that made her about as tall as Héctor.</p><p>But most glaringly, she was not made of bone. Rather, she was the color of bone, she was so pale, but it was still skin.</p><p>Héctor yelped, stumbling back and nearly falling off the dock. The woman’s face split into a grin. “Hello to you too. Oh hey, this is good!”</p><p>Before Héctor could react, she reached out and grabbed his arm, yanking him forward. His arm came loose with a weak <em>pop</em>, and the woman looked a bit surprised before she shrugged. She reached up into her massive amount of wild hair and pulled out a piece of parchment paper, and pressed Héctor’s hand against it.</p><p>Héctor scowled, more offended than shocked now, and called his hand back. The woman frowned when the arm zipped back to Héctor’s socket, as if he had said something very rude to her. “Hey, what’s the deal? I just needed to borrow that.”</p><p>“Who…” Héctor sputtered, adjusting his arm. “Who <em>are</em> you?!”</p><p>“Right! I suppose you gotta make introductions first before you take arms, right?” She chuckled, rolling up the piece of parchment paper. “Eda Clawthorne, witch on a quest, in desperate need of a hand. Literally. Ha!” She laughed at her own joke.</p><p>“You’re alive.” Héctor said, stepping away from her.</p><p>“Observant, huh?” Eda grinned, crossing her arms. </p><p>“I...but then how…?!” Héctor felt vaguely dizzy, and Eda only seemed amused by his apprehension.</p><p>“Y’see, I’m not human,” She flicked the tips of her ears, long and pointed to such a degree they were nearly sharp. “I’m a witch-best one around, actually-and I’m kinda on a deadline to find this very important magical artifact. It’s the only night of the year where the barrier is thin enough to where we can slip through. Only problem is, I got scammed on the map.” She waved the parchment paper. “Turns out you can only see it if a dead person’s touching it, can you believe that?! I guess I can’t complain, I really thought I was gonna explode when I came in here…”</p><p>“What?!” Héctor jumped as the lid to another trash can suddenly flew off, and a scowling...something (a talking, non-colorful, skull-capped, adorable <em>alebrije</em>?) climbed out, marching towards Eda. It pointed at her accusingly. “You didn’t say anything about exploding!”</p><p>“Because I knew you wouldn’t come if I did.” Eda said, shrugging. </p><p>“<em>Lo siento</em>, I’m a bit lost.” Héctor said weakly.</p><p>“Well, so are we, which is why we need your hand to use the map. We were digging around for stray bones in the garbage, but no luck there. Which is funny, the one place where there’s bones every, there’s none in the trash.” Eda said, looking almost mournful.</p><p>“You can’t just take my bones.” Héctor said, stepping back nervously.</p><p>“Sure I can.” The tiny creature crouched, and Héctor tensed to kick it away.</p><p>“Now hang on, King,” Eda said, scooping up the creature and ignoring it’s offended (adorable) squeal. “Maybe we can come to an agreement on this. We do need a guide too, after all.”</p><p>“An agreement. For you to take my bones?” Héctor took another step back. “<em>No gracias</em>.”</p><p>“Not take, just have you come along, help us out, that sort of thing. We can do something for you in return.” Eda said.</p><p>“Like what?” Héctor asked, trying to sound dismissive.</p><p>“From what I understand, this part of town’s for the people who can’t cross that magic bridge,” Eda said, rather bluntly. “We’re getting out of here at the end of the night. Maybe we can relay a message or something for you.”</p><p>“You’re going back to the Land of the Living?” Héctor asked, a desperate idea beginning to form in his mind. “Can you take something back with you? For tomorrow?”</p><p>“What’s tomorrow?” King asked.</p><p>“Día de Muertos. The one night a year we can cross over to the other side. But only if our photos are on an <em>ofrenda</em>. Which I am not.” Héctor could feel the photo in his inside jacket pocket, right next to where his heart would be. It seemed heavier. “If you promise to take my photo across and put it up, I’ll help you.”</p><p>“An <em>ofrenda</em>?” Eda asked, looking unsure.</p><p>“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy! Just a candle and the photo so I can get across.” Héctor said quickly, and then realized that he sounded desperate. </p><p>Eda paused, glanced at King, and then smiled. “You got yourself a deal...what’s your name?”</p><p>Héctor paused, suddenly unsure if he wanted this witch to know his name. Eda chuckled, seeming to sense his unease. “Come on, I won’t steal it.”</p><p>That didn’t do much to set him at ease, but he sighed. “Héctor.” He said after a moment.</p><p>“You got yourself a deal, Héctor.” Eda held out her hand, and Héctor shook it, realizing a second too late she could yank his arm off and make a run for it. </p><p>It seemed Eda was a woman of her word, however, as she let go and grabbed a staff that had been lying previously unnoticed against the wall. “Well then! I suppose we ought to get moving, we’ve only got until this marigold dies.” She yanked a bright red marigold out of her hair, and a petal fell off as if to enunciate their lack of time. </p><p>“What happens when it’s dead?” Héctor asked.</p><p>“Well, if I’m holding it, I go back home. If I’m not, I’m stuck here. Or I explode. The instructions weren’t clear.” Eda shrugged, ignoring King’s sounds of horror. She shoved the marigold back into her hair and the parchment into Héctor’s hands. “Let’s see what we’re looking at, bone boy!”</p><p>“Don’t call me that.” Héctor said, but held out the map, watching in fascination as dark lines and writing suddenly spread out along it, creating glyphs and symbols he didn’t recognize. A dotted line spread across the paper, and Eda grinned.</p><p>“What are you looking for, anyway?” Héctor asked, rolling up the map.</p><p>“Something called the <em>Jaguar de Oro</em>. It’s got fantastical power.” Eda said.</p><p>“And you need this gold jaguar because…?” Héctor asked, and King scoffed.</p><p>“To have, of course! Can you imagine the power I could have with that thing in my paws? I’d take over the world!” King cackled, and if anyone else had said that, Héctor would have been concerned, but King just reminded him of a toddler who believed a toy sword made them the ruler of all.</p><p>“Heh, yeah.” Eda said, and she leaned away, fiddling with her staff, but not before Héctor could clearly see on her face that she was lying. </p><p>“You know, you stand out a bit,” Héctor said cautiously. “Being alive and all.”</p><p>“You’re right!” Eda glanced at King. “See? This is why we need a guide.” She thumped her staff on the ground, and in a puff of smoke, Eda was a perfect skeleton, with gray and red markings around her eyes that looked a bit like feathers. “This work?” She asked, examining her new bony disguise.</p><p>She didn’t wait for Héctor to answer before she hopped on top of the staff-and the staff hovered. King scrambled onto the front, making himself comfortable. “Well? You coming or what?” She nodded to the back of the staff, where there was just enough room to squeeze in.</p><p>“Is that thing safe?” Héctor asked hesitantly. </p><p>King and Eda both burst out laughing, and Eda shook her head vigorously. “But why does it matter? You’re already dead!”</p><p><em>Can’t argue with that,</em> Héctor supposed, and carefully climbed on the back of the staff, rather overwhelmed with the sudden change of plans.</p><p>“Try to keep it together,” Eda said as the staff began to rise off the ground. “‘Cause if you lose a bone, we’re not going back for it.”</p><p>*** *** ***</p><p>Héctor was having a difficult time keeping his head on. </p><p>Eda liked to go fast, and by fast, he meant so fast the world around him blurred into a mess of lights and color that made him dizzy. She took sharp turns and creative routes, and more than once Héctor was left clinging desperately by one arm, hoping he wouldn’t come apart. </p><p>“<em>MÁS LENTO, MÁS LENTO, MÁS LENTO-</em>” Héctor screamed, dangling once again, this time barely jerking his legs up fast enough to avoid hitting his legs on the top of a building.</p><p>“I think we’re close.” Eda said, far too calmly. She came to a sudden stop, and Héctor jerked forward, body jolting painfully from the strain of keeping himself together. </p><p>“<em>Bruja loca…!</em>” He grumbled, letting go of the staff as soon as Eda lowered them down into a fairly hidden alleyway. “Can you fly like you don’t have a death wish?!”</p><p>“That was nothing!” King cackled. “You should see her when she’s really in a hurry!”</p><p>“We’re gonna have to start hurrying soon…” Eda said, yanking out the marigold, which had lost a few more petals. “Let’s see the map again.”</p><p>Héctor sighed, but obediently opened up the map, watching as the designs reappeared. “Great!” Eda said. “According to our map, it should be right under there! That mansion!” She pointed up ahead, and Héctor suddenly stiffened, realizing exactly where they were.</p><p>“We can’t go there,” He said. “That’s Ernesto de la Cruz’s mansion.”</p><p>“Ernesto de who-the-what?” King asked, scrambling up Eda’s shoulder to get a better view. “Looks like they’re having a party!”</p><p>“Every year he throws this big party on Día de Muertos,” Héctor crossed his arms, scowling at the spotlights that danced across the skyline. “It’s tacky.”</p><p>“What? You don’t like parties?” Eda asked.</p><p>“I don’t like <em>his</em> parties. There’s a difference.” Héctor said shortly.</p><p>“Well, party or no party, the jaguar’s under there. Must be in an underground cave or something...point is, you want that photo in the living world, you’re coming in there with me.” Eda said. </p><p>“<em>Buena suerte,</em>” Héctor scoffed. “It’s invite only.”</p><p>Eda’s smile fell. “Ugh. Only pricks have closed invite parties.”</p><p>“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Héctor gestured wildly. “But nooooo, it’s all about who’s who-”</p><p>“And rubbing elbows with the elite-”</p><p>“-making sure you’re surrounded by people who only make you look better, never mind everyone else-”</p><p>“-bunch of kiss ups, the lot of them-”</p><p>“And bad party food! Closed invite parties always have the worst food!” King finished, shaking his fist in the direction of de la Cruz’s mansion. “Well, I spit on your hors d'oeuvres, Ernesto! Your mansion will be the first to go down in flames when I reign supreme over this world!”</p><p>“Ugh, this Ernesto sounds like my sister.” Eda shook her head.</p><p>Héctor paused. “Sister?”</p><p>“Oh yeah! Lilith! Heh, she’s the worst, she-mrph!” King wriggled when Eda suddenly clamped his mouth shut.</p><p>“That’s enough backstory for today,” Eda decided. “Now, we need a plan to sneak in. The caves are on the inside, so there must be some kind of basement entrance. Maybe there’s an open window or something we could fly through.”</p><p>“You don’t think they’ll notice us flying in?” Héctor frowned, looking up at the spotlight, making mocking circles and promises of unfulfilled fame and fortune in the sky. “No. We’ll need a way to get in undercover.”</p><p>“Oh, I like where this is going.” Eda grinned.</p><p>“They know me, though. I’ll need some kind of disguise.” He glanced at Eda, and gestured vaguely.</p><p>“What?” She glanced at her staff, and tched. “Oh, right.” She kicked over a trash can, and Héctor jumped slightly as the metal crashed loudly against the cobblestone street.</p><p>“What are you doing?!” He snapped.</p><p>“It’s easier to transform something than it is to create something. So if you can find me something hairy, I can turn it into a wig.” Eda said, picking apart trash with little hesitation.</p><p>“You’re a little too good at digging through trash.” Héctor said, but peeked in another trash can anyway.</p><p>“Eh, well, I have a lot of practice,” Eda examined a few broken plate shards and tossed them aside. “I run a stand that sells human stuff back home. So there’s a lot of sorting. But you know what they say; one human’s trash is another witch’s gold mine!”</p><p>“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes,” Héctor said, and then paused. “Wait, that’s what you do? Aren’t you a powerful witch?”</p><p>“I said no more backstory!” Eda said, a bit waspishly. She threw something-a rotten cabbage-at him, probably expecting it to get all over his face and nothing more.</p><p>Instead, her aim knocked his head clean off, rotten produce exploding out like a bomb. Héctor yelped, the rest of his body scrambling for his lost head. Eda burst out laughing, her bad mood instantly gone.</p><p>“I didn’t-” She broke down into another fit of laughter. “I didn’t think it’d come off so easily!”</p><p>“<em>Divertidísima</em>.” Héctor said dryly, picking his head back up. It was going to take forever to get the rotten smell out of his hair.</p><p>“Oh, hey, Eda can do that too!” King leapt onto Eda’s shoulder, pushing her head to the side roughly before she could react.</p><p>“Ouch!” Eda’s skeleton disguise disappeared, and Héctor grinned at the sight of her head lying on the ground, obscured entirely by her thick hair. “King!”</p><p>“I suppose we’re <em>los amigos sin cabezas</em> now, hm?” Héctor said, twisting his head back on.</p><p>“I’m assuming that means the headless friends,” Eda said, fixing her own head, and then magicking herself a new bony disguise. “But joke’s on you, I think that’s a cool title.”</p><p>Héctor chuckled, nudging what was left of the cabbage with his foot. “Do you think you can manage a wig out of that?”</p><p>“I’m gonna have to,” Eda said, frowning slightly. “We’re running out of time.”</p><p>*** *** ***</p><p>“You’re not on the list.” The security detail at the entrance scowled at Eda, Héctor, and King at the entrance to the de la Cruz party, and Héctor tried not to move, lest he loosen the ugly blonde wig Eda had transformed from a rotten cabbage.</p><p>“Really? That’s so funny! We should be there. Check again, Eda Clawthorne and Juan Garcia.” Eda said, trying to peek at the clipboard the bouncer held, but he leaned away from her.</p><p>“What kind of <em>alebrije</em> is that?” The bouncer asked, glancing at King. King scowled from his seat on Eda’s shoulder, already sore about the brightly colored <em>alebrije</em> illusion he was forced to wear, but kept silent.</p><p>“A special one.” Eda said, a bit lamely.</p><p>“Weh!” King said, as if to convince the bouncer of his specialness.</p><p>The bouncer reached for his walkie-talkie, and Héctor stepped forward, adopting his best disgruntled scowl. “You mean to tell me you’ve never heard of us?! We’re on the line-up for tonight! De la Cruz specifically requested us, right Eda?”</p><p>“Right!” Eda said, nodding quickly, gaining confidence from Héctor. “Ernesto and us go way back. Honestly, it’s embarrassing for you that you don’t know us…”</p><p>“Mhm.” The bouncer looked unconvinced.</p><p>“We’re <em>Los Amigos Sin Cabezas</em>! Music and magic act! Come on, you have to have heard of us!” Héctor said, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground.</p><p>“You know what?” Eda huffed, tossing her hair. “Fine, call Ernesto down. Call the whole damn security team down! See how they like that you wasted not only our precious time, but everyone else’s!” She gestured behind her to the growing line.</p><p>“But don’t blame us when you’re fired on the spot.” Héctor added, seeing the bouncer’s resolve begin to waver.</p><p>“Forget it, let’s go, we can tell Ernesto all about this later-” Eda turned to go, but the bouncer moved the red rope off the stanchion to open up a path for them.</p><p>“Fine, fine! Go!” He waved them through. “But if I find out you’re lying-”</p><p>“Are you calling me a liar?!” Eda snapped, and the bouncer backed down, looking scared. Eda chuckled, winking at him. “That’s what I thought. Shall we, Juan?”</p><p>“I think we’ve wasted enough time here.” Héctor nodded in agreement, and the two just managed to get out of sight before they burst into laughter.</p><p>“Did you see his face?!” King hopped down, looking pleased. “He was all like ‘Ah! No! Not my job!’” </p><p>“Quick thinking with the music and magic thing,” Eda nudged Héctor. “<em>Los Amigos Sin Cabezas,</em> huh?”</p><p>“Performing at a seedy bar near you,” Héctor bowed dramatically. “And you’re way too good at playing fussy primadonna.”</p><p>“I hang around King. It rubs off on you.” Eda grinned.</p><p>“I am not a primadonna!” King protested, following the witch and skeleton into the mansion.</p><p>Eda blinked, immediately taken aback by the bright lights and music. People milled about with barely enough space to move, shouting conversations to each other. The air smelled sharp, like broken glass and spilled liquor, and there was a large screen hanging above the crowd, playing an old de la Cruz movie, though it only added to the noise.</p><p>“Woah.” Eda said, or that’s what Héctor thought she said. He couldn’t hear her.</p><p>“Bigger party than you’re used too?” He shouted at her, and she winced slightly. He wondered if her big ears-though hidden by magic-made the experience worse.</p><p>“You could say that. I’m more of a party crasher than a party goer.” Eda shrugged.</p><p>King tugged at her skirt. “We should split up! I’ll take this way-” He pointed to the right, which also happened to be the direction of the refreshments. “-and you guys go the other way! I get you if I find anything!”</p><p>“Take Owlbert.” Eda said, unscrewing the wooden owl from the top of her staff. It wriggled, and suddenly a real, living, tiny owl was in Eda’s hand, looking surprised at the scene around it. It hooted, nuzzling Eda’s cheek.</p><p>King scowled, his food raid foiled by a feathery babysitter. Nevertheless, he dutifully scampered off with the owl. No one took notice, too busy living the life of a dead celebrity with nothing better to do.</p><p>Héctor turned to Eda to ask her about the newly introduced Owlbert, but frowned when he saw her scratching at her arms with an expression of vague pain. He nudged her. “<em>Estás bien?</em>”</p><p>“Hm?” Eda glanced at him, and nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I’m great! It’s just a little...loud. And bright. And itchy-” She stopped suddenly, looking horrified.</p><p>“Itchy?” Héctor repeated, but Eda was on the move, hugging herself as though cold.</p><p>“Hey!” He rushed after her, managing to catch up when she snatched a coat off a coat hanger, throwing it around herself with a kind of franticness. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Eda said, digging around in her hair, ignoring the strange looks from the other skeletons. “Nothing, it’s fine, I just need my...medicine...it’s...it should be in there, I could have sworn-” She yanked a glass bottle out, her eyes going wide when she saw it was empty.</p><p>“Is it important?” Héctor asked hesitantly, wondering what kind of ailments might plague Eda.</p><p>“...no,” Eda said after a long moment, shaking her head. “It’s...fine. We just gotta be a little quicker about finding the jaguar.” She started off, shoving her way through the crowd, and Héctor followed, on the lookout for anything that could be a secret entrance to a magic jaguar. </p><p>“So why do they know you?” Eda asked, peering over the sea of skeletons.</p><p>“What?” Héctor blinked, wincing when someone bumped into his bad leg.</p><p>“You said they know you here. That’s why you needed a disguise. Didja break in before?” Eda asked, scratching her covered arms.</p><p>“It’s...complicated.” Héctor said hesitantly.</p><p>“Alright, how about this,” Eda grinned, looking mischievous. “I get a question, and then you get a question. Fair?”</p><p>“I feel like I’m going to regret this,” Héctor said, looking hesitantly at the witch. “But fine.”</p><p>“Great! Answer mine.” </p><p>“I…” Héctor sighed. “Ernesto and I used to be friends. When we were alive. I died before him, and when he came after, he...didn’t want to see me. Didn’t want a nearly forgotten hanging around his fancy mansion, I suppose.”</p><p>“Not that you’re bitter,” Eda said, and then nudged him lightly. “Hey, I don’t blame you for it. I’d be bitter too. I’d be furious, if I were you. What, he just thinks he’s some hotshot with no time for his old friends?”</p><p>“Something like that.” Héctor said, though that wasn’t entirely true. There was also the matter of the stolen discography, but Eda never said he had to tell the whole truth. “My turn. What’s the deal with the trash? It doesn’t add up.”</p><p>Eda frowned, looking like she regretted the game already. “I’m a wanted criminal back home. Like, super wanted. I have posters, a bounty on my head, the whole shebang. Can’t really get a normal job with that.”</p><p>“Wanted?” Héctor really wasn’t surprised by the revelation, but he didn’t want to be hanging around a murderer, if that’s what her crimes were. “What did you do?”</p><p>“My turn!” Eda said. “What’d you do when you were alive?”</p><p>“<em>Musico</em>.” Héctor said, and Eda blinked, looking surprised.</p><p>“Really? I woulda bet my house that you were a traveling conman.” She said.</p><p>“What?!” Héctor looked at her incredulously. “Why?!”</p><p>“You have the vibe, first of all. Trust me, I know,” She elbowed him again, grinning. “And you came up with that lie on the spot back there, and kept it up! Pretty impressive, actually.”</p><p>“I’m not sure if I like that.” Héctor said uneasily.</p><p>“It’s a compliment!” Eda chuckled. “All I’m saying is, I think we make a good team. <em>Los Amigos sin Cabezas</em>, right?”</p><p>Héctor found himself smiling. It was nice to be part of a group again. It was nice to have a friend. Even if the friend was an inhuman criminal.</p><p>“How’d you die, by the way? You’re not old, so I don’t think it was a natural cause.” Eda said.</p><p>“Bad chorizo,” Héctor shrugged, and then frowned. “You don’t get to go twice-”</p><p>“When you say bad chorizo,” Eda said slowly. “Do you mean a euphemism for something else…?”</p><p>“No!” Héctor squawked, and Eda burst out laughing. His face would have gone scarlet had he been alive. “Why does everyone make that same assumption?!”</p><p>“Hey, look, I’m not judging,” Eda was still giggling. “I like experimenting and trying new things too, that’s where the best stuff is-”</p><p>“Food poisoning,” Héctor said quickly, hoping no one was hearing any bits of their conversation. “It was food poisoning.”</p><p>“That’s almost worse,” Eda shook her head. “You should lie and say you got shot in a battle. Some kind of noble death.”</p><p>“I’ve already earned a reputation about rumors of my death.” Héctor said mournfully, and Eda burst out laughing again, hugging the stolen coat tightly around herself. </p><p>“I get to go twice now, it’s only fair,” Héctor said. “So Lilith. Why don’t you want to talk about her?”</p><p>Eda’s smile instantly died, and she stared at the ground. “Had to go for that one, didn’t you?”</p><p>Héctor was silent, waiting for Eda to speak first. </p><p>After what felt like an eternity, she sighed, shuffling in place. “Family is…” She trailed off, trying to find the right word, though Héctor could see malicious ones lurking behind her gaze. “...hard. Complicated. Sometimes awful.” </p><p>“What do you-” Héctor paused when something small scurried underfoot.</p><p>“Hey, Eda!” Eda glanced down at her name, seeing King tugging her skirt once again, arms filled with various stolen snacks. Owlbert hooted, landing on top of her staff and turning back into wood. </p><p>“I thought you said you spit on his hors d'oeuvres.” Eda said.</p><p>“Yeah, they’re awful, but it’s still free food,” King shoved several little crackers with some kind of paste on top into his mouth. “I like free things. Also, I found a suspicious looking wall that has security in front of it. Normal walls don’t need security, right?”</p><p>“We’ll need a distraction to get past.” Héctor said, and noticed a smile spread across Eda’s face.</p><p>“Leave it to me.” She winked.</p><p>“<em>Ahora estoy nervioso</em>-wait, don’t-!” But it was too late. Eda swung up onto the table, and her illusions fell away from herself and King. A few skeletons noticed her, and their eyes widened at the sight of a living person, but Eda didn’t pay them any mind. She slammed her staff onto the tabletop, and immediately an icy rush of wind swept through the party.</p><p>Eda grinned, looking nearly feral, and a sudden flash of light exploded from around her, taking the shape of a massive owl with a look of cold rage. It screeched, spreading massive wings and swooping down over the crowd.</p><p>Chaos ensued. </p><p>Héctor stumbled, thrown off balance by King when he jumped on his shoulders to avoid being trampled by the fleeing, screaming crowd. Eda was laughing, enjoying the scene far too much, and then disappeared when a security guard tackled her. </p><p>“Eda!” Héctor shouted, rushing after her. </p><p>“Don’t worry about me!” Eda said, wrestling the security guard off herself. “Look out!”</p><p>“Heads up!” King said, springing off of Héctor and onto another guard who was about to grab him. The guard yelped, trying to unsuccessfully yank King off, but the tiny demon had an iron grip.</p><p>Héctor backed away from the remaining guard, aware of the stupid blonde wig Eda made had fallen off, so now they had him for trespassing and conspiring with a witch and demon.</p><p>“Héctor!” Eda tossed her staff at him, and he fumbled with it. The guard lunged at him, and on instinct, Héctor swung it as hard as he could, knocking the guard’s head off with it. The guard stumbled, searching for his head, but it had fallen in the guitar shaped pool. (Really, how obnoxious)</p><p>“No, there’s a spell in there!” Eda said, struggling to fend off the remaining security guard, who was far bigger than her and pinning her to the ground so she couldn’t use her hands for magic.</p><p>“Ah-!” Héctor aimed the staff at the guard. “What’s the magic word?! Abracadabra?! <em>Maldecirlo</em>?! I-”</p><p>“BLAST ‘EM, MAGIC STICK!” Eda shrieked, and a blast of fire exploded from the end of the staff, knocking Héctor off his feet, and the guard off Eda.</p><p>Eda scrambled to her feet, her eyes widening when she saw more guards beginning to enter the room. “King! Take us to the wall, now!”</p><p>“This is an awful distraction!” Héctor lamented, and Eda ignored him, grabbing his arm and dragging him after King. The demon skidded to a stop in front of a granite wall, with intricate carvings covering it.</p><p>“Hang on!” Eda scooped up King, drawing a glowing circle in the air and then yanking it towards her as the guards closed in. Héctor blinked-</p><p>And suddenly they were on the other side of the wall, inside a long, dark stone tunnel. Eda panted, leaning against the wall. “That…” She coughed. “Was a lot. A lot of magic.”</p><p>Héctor reached out to help her, but she waved him off. “I’m fine…” She yanked out the red marigold, examining it cautiously. It was mostly wilted, the once vibrant petals now few and curling at the edges. “We’re running out of time. We need to find that jaguar now.” She tapped her staff on the ground, and the air lit up with tiny lights that reminded Héctor of fireflies.</p><p>“Should you be using magic?” Héctor asked.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Eda grinned, an excited and mischievous light beginning to return to her eyes. “We’re almost there. I can smell it.”</p><p>“What does it smell like?” King asked.</p><p>“Like success!” Eda turned to Héctor, giving him a thumbs up.</p><p>“So you have a motif with owls, huh?” He chuckled.</p><p>“They call me the Owl Lady. Might as well go with the theme, right?” Eda stepped forward, twirling her staff. “<em>Los Amigos Sin Cabezas</em>,” She sang, off-key and grating. “Are they gonna find the jaguar? Yep, you betcha!” She held out the staff to Héctor as if offering a microphone. “Take it, Héctor!”</p><p>He laughed. “I’m not going to assist you in your crimes against music.”</p><p>“King!” Eda pointed at King, and the demon looked startled, stumbled, and then began to scat randomly. Eda winced. “Nevermind. But hey, you’re gonna get that photo up!”</p><p>“And you’re going to get that jaguar.” Héctor said, scarcely able to believe he was this close to seeing Coco.</p><p>“I can use it’s fantastical powers to visit you next year, huh? Unless you’re sick of me already.” Eda winked.</p><p>“I don’t know if I’ll be here next year.” Héctor said, and then frowned, realizing what he just said.</p><p>Eda blinked, some of her mirth dying. “Wha...what? Do you have plans or something?”</p><p>“Yeah, don’t you want to see me?” King scrambled onto Héctor’s shoulder. </p><p>“This…” Héctor squirmed, wishing he had just stayed quiet. “This place runs on memories. Once no one in the Living World remembers you, you just…disappear. They call it the Final Death.”</p><p>Eda was quiet, her expression unreadable. “That’s why you’re living down by the water. Why all those people are. Why the <em>ofrenda</em> is so important. Not being on one means...you’re going away.”</p><p>Héctor was silent. Eda let out a long breath of air, running her hands through her hair. “How...how long do you think you have?”</p><p>“I have no idea.” Héctor took King off his shoulder, but didn’t set him down, holding him in his arms. The demon was oddly cuddly and comforting. “My...my daughter is the only one keeping me around now, but she’s...she’s very old now. And I died when she was a little girl. They…” He swallowed hard. “I died very far away from home, trying...trying to become a famous musician. Away from my family. News of what happened never got home, so they...they assumed I abandoned them.”</p><p>“And there’s no one here for you now?” Eda asked.</p><p>Héctor smiled, but it felt like a grimace. “My wife and some of her family are here, but...she’s quite angry with me. They...I know why she’s angry, I would be too, but…” He trailed off.</p><p>Eda swallowed hard, looking at the ground as she walked. “I...I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Héctor said nothing.</p><p>“I’m gonna get that photo to the human world,” Eda said quietly. “You’ll see your daughter. I promise.”</p><p>Héctor’s smile became more genuine. “<em>Gracias</em>.”</p><p>“Ooh ooh!” King wriggled out of Héctor’s arms and dashed forward, rounding a corner that opened up into a large room, the walls covered in designs depicting jaguars and skeletons. “Look!” He pointed up, a tiny opening in the ceiling.</p><p>“Perfect,” Eda grinned, craning her neck up. “King, you and Owlbert-”</p><p>“I don’t need Owlbert!” King stamped his foot. “The King of Demons needs no assistance from a palisman!”</p><p>“Won’t you get scared of the dark? You-” Eda paused when King waved his hands frantically, looking embarrassed. She sighed. “Alright, I’ll float you up into it, and you try and find us taller folks a way through, okay?”</p><p>“Gotcha!” King bounced, excited for his solo mission, even as Eda looked unsure as she used her magic to carefully lift him into the opening.</p><p>“Think he can do it?” Héctor asked, listening to King’s scuttling sounds get further and further away. </p><p>“As long as there’s not any food or crowns, I think-” Eda suddenly sucked in a sharp breath of air, stumbling back.</p><p>“Eda?” Héctor turned to her, suddenly concerned. “Eda? Are you hurt?”</p><p>“No…” She said, but her voice was tight, and had a strange thickness to it that almost sounded like a growl. “No, no I’m alright-” She gritted her teeth, hugging the coat tighter around herself. A noise somewhere between a hiss and a screech managed to slip out, and she looked startled. </p><p>“You are not alright,” Héctor said, his concern building. “Is it your magic? Did-”</p><p>Eda screeched this time, and the sound was horribly inhuman. She fell to her knees, her face tight, staff clattering to the ground. Her grip on the coat loosened, and it fell off altogether. </p><p>“Eda!” Héctor rushed forward. “What’s-<em>plumas</em>?!” He gasped, seeing long gray feathers covering her arms.</p><p>“I might…” She winced, fists clenched tightly. “I might’ve lied about...how much I needed that medicine-ah!” She winced. “You should leave. Like, right now.”</p><p>“<em>Me estás tomando el pelo?!</em>” Héctor looped his arm under her’s, helping her to her feet. “Absolutely not. We need-”</p><p>“GO!” Eda snapped, her voice suddenly malicious, and not entirely her own. </p><p>Héctor let go on instinct, stumbling back in surprise. “Eda…?”</p><p>“Don’t…” She was on her feet, unsteady. She was covered in feathers, and her teeth looked oddly sharp. “Don’t tell King, please.”</p><p>She screeched again, and suddenly collapsed, her thick hair obscuring her for a moment before it spread across her and turned to feathers. Héctor grabbed her staff, and Eda grew, in seconds turning from a tall woman to a massive feathery beast. The beast was still for a moment, facing away from him.</p><p>“...Eda…?” Héctor said cautiously.</p><p>The beast swung around, and instead of Eda’s face and wiry golden eyes, it was the face of an owl, with eyes the color of the void. It snarled, turning slowly to face Héctor. “Eda…!” Héctor said, backing away.</p><p>The beast screamed, and lunged at Héctor. He shouted, holding the staff up, and a burst of light emitted from it. The beast wailed, drawing back and rubbing at its eyes. “Eda, it’s me! Héctor! Don’t-AH!”</p><p>He stumbled back when she lunged at him again, ducking out into the hall. It was too narrow for her to enter, but the beast still scratched frantically at the floor, fighting to get to him. The rock walls shuddered, tiny cracks forming. “Stop stop!” Héctor waved his arms frantically. “It’s me! We’re...we’re <em>los amigos sin cabezas,</em> remember? You...you had the stupid song. Eda, this isn’t you.”</p><p>The beast snarled, still thrashing and fighting to get to him. “You’re...you’re gonna make me sing the song? Fine, I’ll do it…” Héctor coughed. “<em>Los...Los Amigos Sin Cabezas</em>...are they gonna find the jaguar? You betcha. See? How awful is that?” He forced a chuckle, though he was shaking now, terrified by her sudden transformation. What if this was permanent?</p><p>The beast snarled, though it’s void eyes held less spite and more curiosity. “You want a second verse?” Héctor asked, knowing his voice was shaky. “God, Eda, I don’t...I haven’t written music in nearly eighty years. Not anything that’s any good, at least.”</p><p>He took a step forward, and the beast blinked. “I…” Héctor swallowed hard. “I’ll make a new verse, but...but I need you to come back. You need to try, okay? You can’t stay here. King needs you. Deal?”</p><p>The beast did nothing, and Héctor took a deep breath. “<em>Los Amigos Sin Cabezas…</em>one of them needs a photo on an <em>ofrenda</em>.” He smiled when the beast let out a noise that almost sounded like a chuckle.</p><p>“<em>No está mal, verdad?</em>” He was right next to her now. “One more verse, and then you need to come back…”</p><p>The beast tilted it’s head, and when it blinked, its eyes flashed gold. “<em>Los Amigos Sin Cabezas</em>...Eda’s got a magic stick with an owl, fantastic!”</p><p>The beast laughed, a garbled sound, but it was a laugh. It pulled back, and screeched, curling in on itself-and there was Eda, a new streak of gray taking up more of her red hair. She groaned, rubbing her eyes.</p><p>“EDA!” Héctor rushed forward, hugging her tightly before pulling back to examine her frantically. “<em>Estás herido?! Estás muriendo?! Dios mío, di algo!</em>”</p><p>“You are talking…” Eda winced. “Very quickly.”</p><p>“<em>Lo siento</em>,” He backed up a bit, handing her the staff. She hugged it close as though it were a teddy bear.</p><p>She refused to look at him, forehead resting on her knees. “...I’m guessing you have a couple of questions.” </p><p>Héctor said nothing.</p><p>“I’m cursed,” Eda said dully. “I don’t know how, by who, or why, but the elixir-the medicine-keeps it at bay, but...sometimes I don’t get lucky.”</p><p>“You fought it off just now.” Héctor said softly.</p><p>“Stroke of luck,” Eda said. “And I’m not going to be able to use any real magic now, should we run into trouble.”</p><p>“So then King doesn’t know,” Héctor said, putting the pieces together. “Does anyone know?”</p><p>“It’s an urban legend,” Eda said. “That’s why they call me the Owl Lady. The only person who really knows is...is Lilith.”</p><p>Eda sighed, managing to look at Héctor, absolutely miserable. “She’s...a priss, in the worst way possible. We grew apart when we were teenagers. She joined the Emperor’s Coven, willing to give up her freedom for authority, and I...didn’t want that. But...they have resources I don’t.”</p><p>“A cure for a curse.” Héctor said.</p><p>“Maybe,” Eda said. “That’s what Lily told me, anyway. She and her goons are hunting me down, and she told me if I joined the Emperor’s Coven, my crimes would be pardoned and…” She swallowed. “And they’d fix me.”</p><p>Héctor was quiet, and Eda fiddled with her staff, somehow looking much too old and much too young at the same time. “I heard about the jaguar-that it could cure curses-and...I panicked. I came here with no plan, no backup, no supplies...and look where it got me. Where it nearly got you.”</p><p>“You didn’t mean to try and hurt me.” Héctor said quickly.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter!” Eda shook her head. “What if I did?! You’re already so beat up, you couldn’t take it if the owl beast got you!”</p><p>“Why don’t you want to join a coven?” Héctor said, deciding to ignore her lack of faith in his strength. </p><p>“They…” Eda sighed. “The coven system is...limiting. Most coven make you seal away all magic other than theirs when you join. I don’t...I don’t want to do that. And the Emperor’s Coven...I don’t trust their leader, Belos. He’s had it out for me since I first started making a name for myself. He doesn’t want to help me. He wants to control me.”</p><p>“And Lilith really doesn’t see that?” Héctor asked.</p><p>“She’s too blinded by her own ambition.” Eda shook her head. After a moment, she stood up, looking a bit tired, but fine overall. “She wants to rise to the top, and she’ll do anything for it. I can’t say I blame her…” She chuckled weakly. “It just...sort of hurts, I guess.”</p><p>She glanced at the ground. “I guess both of our families let us down.”</p><p> </p><p>Héctor opened his mouth to argue, but the room suddenly shuddered, and the wall behind them suddenly slid away, opening into a new room. King bounced up and down from the other side, pulling on a lever. “Told you I could do it!”</p><p>Eda’s face instantly split into a grin, though it looked forced. “Yeah, well, did you get lost?”</p><p>King huffed, but didn’t argue. </p><p>The room was pitch black, and Eda waved her staff, drawing the floating lights inside. The room was eerily empty. The granite walls were blank and flat, the floor uncut as if whoever made the tunnels had given up right at the end. In the center of the room, a stone pedestal rose out of the floor. Sitting on top of it was-</p><p>“Oh no.” Eda breathed, rushing forward, snatching the old sheet of parchment paper off of the pedestal where surely the golden jaguar should have been. “Oh no no no...oh, God…!”</p><p>“What is it?” Héctor asked, though somehow he already knew.</p><p>“It’s gone,” Eda said, her voice low and laced with poison. “The Emperor’s Coven.” She held out the paper, showing him an intricate triangular design of a winged sword and orb. “They got here first.”</p><p>She clenched her fist, and the paper went up in flames. “Just one more thing they took.”</p><p>“Eda, I’m so sorry.” Héctor said softly, but she turned away, shooting a beam of light into the stone wall. </p><p>King yelped. “Hey, you’ll bring the whole place down!”</p><p>Eda winced, swaying slightly, and for a second Héctor was worried she would collapse from the magic use. But she steadied herself, and King scurried over to her. “Hey, don’t worry about it!” He said, blissfully unaware of the stakes. “I bet the jaguar looked stupid anyway.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Eda said, her voice slightly thick. “Yeah, y-you’re right.”</p><p>“You’ll find something better,” Héctor said, trying to smile. “You’re Eda the Owl Lady, right?”</p><p>“The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles.” She added weakly.</p><p>Héctor scoffed. “Since when?”</p><p>“Since now,” She argued, a bit more forcefully. “Who’s gonna dispute it, huh? They’ll have to beat me first.”</p><p>“Wouldn't want to be that guy.” Héctor shrugged.</p><p>Eda laughed, and opened her mouth, but paused when a sudden breeze swept through the room. Her eyes widened, and she yanked the red marigold out of her hair, watching with horror as the last petal fell. </p><p>“King!” She shouted, and the demon raced to her, hugging her leg tightly. Eda fumbled to hold both the staff and flower at the same time as red petals appeared out of nowhere, swirling around her. “Héctor! The photo!”</p><p>“<em>Aférrate!</em>” He gasped, fumbling for it. He sprinted to her, pain jolting through his bad leg, but he didn’t have time to worry over it. Eda reached out, trying to grab the photo from him. Her fingernails just brushed it-</p><p>There was a bright flash of red light, and he was thrown back, falling apart immediately, scattered across the room. </p><p>When he came to his senses, he was alone, except for the red petals, and the faint smell of something burning.</p><p>*** *** ***</p><p>The curse hurt at night, sometimes.</p><p>Eda groaned, rolling over in bed, aware it was going to be a hassle to untangle herself from the blanket come the morning. Her arms stung from where the feathers had forced their way through her skin, and her throat felt raw and scratchy. Her head prickled with a now-familiar post curse migraine, and she winced, rubbing her eyes.</p><p><em>You’ll find something better,</em> Héctor had said, but what options were there?</p><p>Her door creaked open, and Eda peeked up, seeing King silhouette standing in the doorway, clutching whatever stuffed toy he had taken a fancy to during their most recent trash collection. Currently it was some kind of shelled animal he had dubbed Constantine.</p><p>“What?” Eda rubbed her eyes. “Did you have a nightmare?”</p><p>“No!” King said defensively, but he didn’t move, clutching Constantine.</p><p>Eda paused, and then sighed. “Well, I did, believe it or not, and I don’t want to be alone right now.” Only half of it was a lie.</p><p>“Hm…” King walked in, managing to climb into her bed. “Perhaps I can help out with your dilemma.”</p><p>“That’d be great.” Eda grinned, watching him set down Constantine, and circle a few times before settling down and closing his eyes.</p><p>She watched him for a few minutes before closing her own eyes, vowing that at least she wouldn’t forget.</p><p>Eda fell asleep humming their theme song.</p><p>And across the barrier, Héctor stayed awake, preparing plans in a vain attempt to beat his own curse.</p><p>And he was also humming.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>im on a coco and owl house rampage and im sorry you had to see the result of that</p><p>anyway, come bully me for this mess on my tumblr!<br/>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/toadintheroad</p></blockquote></div></div>
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